Despite a few challenges, Hamlet officials are happy with the outcome of this year’s Yellowstone Trail Festival. Town Council President Dave Kesvormas thanked festival organizers during Wednesday’s council meeting. “We’re really happy it happened, that you guys didn’t decide to wig out and back off because of COVID or anything like that,” Kesvormas said.
The food vendors were a particular highlight, according to festival secretary Juanita Ketcham. “The Bobcat ears – did you hear about our Bobcat ears? Those went over, like, so good,” Ketcham told the town council. “So no more elephant ears at the Yellowstone Trail Festival. It’ll be Bobcat ears, and they’ve already paid for next year. They said it was the best fundraiser they’d ever had.”
One new attraction this year was the fireworks display. While Ketcham admitted that she wasn’t sure about the idea at first, she said it ended up getting a lot of compliments, and some individuals have already offered to donate for next year. However, town officials suggested moving the fireworks to another location farther away from homes and wooded areas. Kesvormas hoped that videos posted on Facebook will draw larger crowds next year.
“I think it looked good,” Kesvormas said, “and I think that people just thought it was just going to be somebody going and getting some fireworks from the guy out on 30 and lighting them off.”
But next year’s festival still faces some challenges. For the past several years, the festival has gotten $1,000 in town funding, but COVID-19’s impact on local income tax revenues means it may not be able to count on that in 2022.
“We do know we’re going to have a shortfall because of COVID and it’s all coming back, so we may not be, next year, as solid,” Kesvormas said. “So we’ll try to be where we were.”
Ketcham, meanwhile, asked if the town would be able to take over the organization of the parade. “Our parade was pitiful this year,” she said. “If it had not been for the military preservation vehicles, I think we would’ve had like six entries.”
The 2022 Yesllowstone Trail Festival is scheduled for August 20 and 21.
